In the Final for the German Sustainability Award
The finalists in the competition for the Special Packaging Award of the German Sustainability Award have been determined. With this award, the German Sustainability Award Foundation in cooperation with REWE Group honors exemplary ideas for more sustainable packaging. The winner will be announced in December at the German Sustainability Award ceremony in Düsseldorf.
„Packaging has to get better,“ says Stefan Schulze-Hausmann, initiator of the German Sustainability Award. „We depend on hygienic, transport-safe and informative protection for products, but we need less of it and smarter solutions. Our finalists show how this can be done. Together, we want to send impulses to the various industries to make their packaging fit for the future.“
The following product packaging are finalists for the German Sustainability Award: Gmund Papier prevailed with a packaging paper made from 100 percent European hemp fibers. Hemp fibers offer ecological advantages over wood fibers: Their length makes them stronger and more frequently recyclable. The plant fibers can be harvested two to three times a year and also have a high yield per unit area. In addition to largely avoiding the use of pesticides, hemp cultivation also offers advantages for soils, insects, and farmland birds. Gmund’s paper is currently the only packaging paper available on a large industrial scale made from this plant.
„CycleForm“ is a blister pack made from molded paper with a particularly low carbon footprint. The novel process developed by the engineering company KOCH Pac-Systeme allows a flat cardboard box to be formed into a „tray“ and closed with a cardboard back. This allows products such as toothbrushes or razors to be packaged in a dust-tight and hygienic manner. The packaging is also plastic-free and 100 percent recyclable. Compared to conventional packaging, the packaging solution is characterized by lower energy and water consumption.
The eatTAINABLE reusable system digitally organized by Rieber is a form of pre-cycling that aims to avoid packaging waste. The reusable containers for food delivery and pick-up services can be reused several thousand times and are 100 percent recyclable. The odorless, antibacterial, and dishwasher-safe stainless-steel packaging in various sizes allows for versatile use. The Rieber CONNECT system also aims to create reusable partnerships with other manufacturers of, for example, reusable glasses or plastic containers, to reduce packaging waste in the out-of-home catering sector in the long term.
The jury of experts of the German Sustainability Award decided on the finalists and the winner in September 2021. Appointed by the German Sustainability Award Foundation, the panel brings perspectives from business, research, civil society, and politics into the decision-making process. The winner will be announced at the German Sustainability Award ceremony in Düsseldorf on December 3rd, 2021.
The German Sustainability Award is the national award for excellence in sustainability in business, communities, and research. With eight competitions, over 1,000 applicants and 2,000 guests at the events, the award is the largest of its kind in Europe. The award is presented by the Stiftung Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis e. V. (German Sustainability Award Foundation) in cooperation with the German federal government, leading municipal associations, business associations, civil society organizations, and research institutions. The setting for the award ceremony is the German Sustainability Day in Düsseldorf, the most visited annual communication platform on the topics of sustainable development.
